Portside

April 30 is the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The end of that war - a time of devastating defeat for the United States and relief for the Vietnamese - has been rebranded and offers a hint of what may come when our crash-and-burn policy in the Middle East ends. That war had a lasting impact on American foreign policy, culture, and national identity and draws attention to the lessons it offers for today and the many tomorrows to come.

Rasmea Odeh, Associate Director of the Arab American Action Network in Chicago, was arrested at her home by agents from the Department of Homeland Security in October 2013 . Her arrest and subsequent conviction is part of a broader pattern of persecution by the federal government of Arabs and Muslims that are outspoken leaders in their communities throughout the U.S.

New report details perverse policies that are driving more people into hopeless, inescapable poverty.

Officials calling for calm can offer no rational justification for Gray's death, and so they appeal for order.

As Baltimore is policed like occupied territory today, remembering James Baldwin's words about Harlem in 1966. This article originally appeared in the July 11, 1966 issue of The Nation.

Baltimore is the latest city to crack down on unpaid residential water bills, despite concerns that the practice violates basic human rights. Meanwhile, the city’s corporate debtors continue to run their taps unaffected.

Amiri Baraka (1934-2014) was the most influential African American poet of the last half-century. His was a wide ranging, experimental practice that left its mark on literary poetry, spoken word verse, and hip-hop. He was a socially committed and engaged intellectual who combined a Marxist enthusiasm with a linguistic panache that resulted in a rich, humorous, and rigorous body of work. Patrick James Dunagan looks at a summing-up collection of his work.

German unions use their positions on corporate boards to push their agenda. They have unleaded waves of strikes and secured generous wages increases thus ending years of waning influence.

Adam Sandler's The Ridiculous Six is said to be a spoof on The Magnificent Seven. Examples of the disrespect that triggered the walk off included Native women’s names such as Beaver’s Breath and No Bra, an actress portraying an Apache woman squatting and urinating while smoking a peace pipe, and a severely negligent portrayal of the Apache. The movie will star Sandler, Nick Nolte, Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz and Vanilla Ice.

Punishing the poor; Nuns off the hook; Hip-Hop to the rescue; Women inmates turn prison inside-out; American PEN and Charlie Hebdo